Primi~ First Course
Tagliatelle Con Zafferano ~ Thin Pasta With Saffron
Number of servings (yield): 4
Ingredients
- 400 g Tagliatelle
- 400 g Baby peas
- 30 g Tuscan extra virgin olive oil
- 0.05 g Saffron
- 1 Onion
- Salt
Method
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On a low heat, fry the peas with the finely chopped onion in extra virgin first cold pressed oil for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, dissolve the saffron in a pan of sea-salted water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta. Optional, add a half pat of unsalted butter to the peas. Add the pasta to the pan with the peas and onions and mix thoroughly and serve.
Secondi~ Second Course
Coniglio In Umido ~ Stewed Rabbit & Pappardelle Pasta
Number of servings (yield): 6
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + 1 Tbsp
- 1 Rabbit, cut into pieces (approx. 3- 3 ½ lbs)
- 1 Onion
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Celery stalk
- 1 branch fresh Rosemary
- 1 Bunch fresh Parsley
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 2 Chicken Livers, whole
- 1 glass Red Wine
- 2 lbs Peeled Tomatoes
- 1 lb Tomato Puree
- Pappardelle pasta
Method
- Put the rabbit in cold water for 6 hours. Heat 1 cup olive oil in a large pot and lightly brown the rabbit pieces, stirring to brown evenly.
- Separately, chop the carrot, onion, celery, parsley and rosemary. In a saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sauté the chopped vegetables until the onion is transparent. Add the ground beef, pork and whole chicken livers and sauté until browned.
- Add the vegetable-ground meat mixture to the pot with the rabbit and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the glass of wine and allow to evaporate over high heat.
- When the wine has evaporated and the meat starts to take on some color, add the peeled tomatoes, tomato puree and cook over low heat for at least 3 hours with the cover slightly open./li>
- Stir once in a while so it doesn’t stick.
- Boil sea-salted water and add Pappardelle pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain pasta and toss with the sauce obtained from the meat. Stir a minute or two and serve.
Peposo All’Imprunetina ~ Impruneta-Style Beef Stew
Number of servings (yield): 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb Beef Muscle
- 6 Cloves Garlic
- 3 mature Tomatoes
- Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves for aroma
- Pepper
- Salt, to taste
- Chianti Red Wine, as needed
Method
- Cut the meat into pieces, not too small, and place in a large shallow pot. Peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds (this helps take out the acidity). Chop the garlic and tomatoes and add to the pot with the meat. Add the aromatic herbs, salt and pepper. Remember the name is Peposo, so be generous with the pepper. It should have at least a teaspoon.
- Cover everything with Chianti wine and cook over low heat for about 6 hours. Add water if needed, if it starts to dry out too much. Stir about every 15 minutes and add wine and pepper as needed.
Dolci~ Dessert
Castagnaccio ~ Chestnut Flour Cake
Number of servings (yield): 8
Ingredients
- 250g or 1/2 a pound chestnut flour
- 2-3 cups or 500-700ml of water
- 1/3 cup or 75g of raisins (pre-soaked in vin santo or white wine)
- 1/4 cup or 50g pine nuts
- 5 walnuts, peeled and ground
- 1 teaspoon of extra virgin first cold pressed olive oil
- 20-30 sprigs of rosemary
Method
- Pass the chestnut flour through a sieve.
- Add water to the flour, while mixing slowly. The batter should be soft and easily falls off the spoon. Normally 2 1/2 cups or 600ml is a good amount of water.
- Add the olive oil, pine nuts, walnuts and raisins then mix well together.
- Grease a baking pan or line with parchment paper and pour in the batter until it’s about 1cm thick (0.4 inches into the baking pan.
- Drop the rosemary springs on top of the batter and leave on top without mixing in.
- Bake at 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius for 30-40 minutes. When the cake is baked, it will form little cracks on the top.
- Let cool before cutting.